Each fall, hundreds of visitors come to the NC Arboretum for Monarch Day. Photo: NC Arboretum

The North Carolina Arboretum, a public garden and affiliate of the University of North Carolina system, and Bee Campus USA, are pleased to announce that the Arboretum is the seventh institution to be certified as a Bee Campus USA affiliate.

The Arboretum’s Executive Director George Briggs said, “As an affiliate of the University of North Carolina system, the Arboretum works hard to provide our members, visitors and students with educational opportunities that align with both our mission and the University. Bee Campus USA is a terrific organization and we are excited to have them as a partner to help us grow our program even further.”

In addition to creating and enhancing pollinator-focused landscapes on its campus, the Arboretum works with volunteers and other outside organizations to create pollinator gardens in the community.

​“Learning through service is a core value of our educational institution,” commented Clara Curtis, senior director for mission delivery at The North Carolina Arboretum. “For example, our partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific is enabling the establishment of pollinator gardens at five local schools and our ecoEXPLORE initiative is helping us create similar features at all twelve branches of the Buncombe County Public Library System. We are extremely excited about all of these efforts to increase awareness about the benefits of pollinators in our region.”